Merlin: Magic's Time Season 1
by MajorBrony95
Summary: What if Arthur knew about Merlin's magic early on? What if Arthur accepted it and asked to be taught magic as well? How would the world of "Merlin" be changed? Find out in this first story from the mind of my sister, Deerpelt. Artwork made by her too. (AU. Takes place shortly after S1E8 "The Beginning of the End")
1. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hi there! My name is Deerpelt! I'm MegaBrony's sister. I have had this story in my head for a long time. About two or three years. However, I have only now started to write it down. And I'm putting the story on my brothers account because I'm to scared to create my own Fanfic account. I first came up with this story when I thought about what would happen if Arthur found out about Merlin magic. And wanted to learn magic himself. So, after two years of thought here it is! I hope you like it! Please tell me what you think of it.

 **PLEASE NOTE**

**I DO HAVE A JOB AND LIFE (COLLEGE, FRIENDS, HOMEORK, EXC.) OUTSIDE OF WRITING THIS STORY. I WILL TRY TO "POST"/ GIVE MY BROTHER THE STORY AS SOON AS I CAN, BUT I ONLY HAVE 1 DAY A WEEK THAT I DON'T HAVE WORK/ COLLEGE. PLEASE,** _ **PLEASE, PLEASE**_ **BE UNDERSTANDING.**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

A BIT ABOUT ME

Yes, my name is a name I made from the _Warrior_ book series by Erin Hunter.

Favorite Color: Teal

Favorite Subject: History

Favorite book series: Too many to name….

Favorite T.V shows: Too many to name, again…

Favorite Anime: Detective Conan (Sub)

Places I want to visit: England and Japan

Dream career: Forensic Anthropologist

Hobbies: Drawing, writing, watching Youtube, watching T.V.

Fun fact: I have to have music to draw and write, it helps me think!

THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY


	2. Episode 1: Revelations- Part 1

Merlin: Magic's Time (Season 1)

Episode 1-Part 1

Merlin was walking to Arthur's room. The raven haired sorcerer had gone back to his own room after helping Mordred escape. But Arthur had called him to his chambers. The things the druid boy had said over the course of the time Mordred was here still danced around Merlin's head. His head ached with all the thoughts racing through it and his eyes stung from tiredness from the days events. But he knew when Arthur called him to his chambers, he had to go. Not only that, Merlin wanted to make sure the prince was okay after all that had happened tonight. He got to the door, and he thought he would be nice and knock. When he heard no answer, he opened the door to find Arthur, siting on the space where the window jutted out, staring out his closed window at the night sky. Merlin cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Arthur, are you alright? You haven't said a word since we got back from saving the druid boy."

Arthur turned to look at Merlin. The thoughtfulness in Arthur's blue eyes was unnerving to the raven haired servant.

"Merlin, do you think we did the right thing? Letting Mordred go, I mean."

The question shocked the young sorcerer. The words the Great Dragon had said since Mordred came to Camelot spun in his head. The Great Dragon had been very insistent. That he, Merlin, should have taken no part in Arthur's plan to free the boy. That Mordred would be Arthur's undoing. That Mordred would kill Arthur.

"Are you having second thoughts about saving Mordred?" Merlin decided to try to lighten the situation a bit. "Because it's a bit late for that, Sire." He added with a light chuckle.

The seriousness in Arthur's face did not change. The blond turned back to the window.

"I don't regret what did, Merlin. That's why I'm asking. My father says that magic is a menace to Camelot.. He says it will destroy the kingdom if we don't destroy it first. That is something I have heard since I was little. My father has never explained to me why he hates it. He just... _does_. And I've never questioned it. Until now. There was something in me telling me that I didn't want to see Mordred die. No, it's more than that."

At this Arthur's voice started to rise getting louder and louder after every sentence. "I _couldn't_ let him die. And I don't regret that I helped him, Merlin. Because, as much as I hate to say it, I'm not like my father. I don't hate magic with every ounce of my being. Seeing that little druid boy made sure of that. To me, magic is like a sword. Yes, it can be dangerous, but only if it's in the wrong hands. Mordred had done nothing to the people of Camelot, yet my father kill him just as easily as he would a murderer."

Arthur took a few long, deep breaths. Merlin wanted to say something, anything, but something stopped him. He seemed to know that Arthur wasn't done. And sure enough, the prince continued with on with his speech, in a much softer voice, tinged with a kind of sour, saddened humor to it.

"Merlin, this may be stupid of me to say, my father might even call me a traitor if he heard it himself but…" Arthur gave a small, hollow chuckle "I don't hate magic. Is that wrong?"

Merlin glanced at Arthur, shock in his eyes. Surely the prince of Camelot was pulling his leg. Perhaps it was sleep deprivation or something. Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, not hating magic? Merlin must be hearing things. But the look on Arthurs face was most definitely one of a person torn between two things, both of which he knew to be right and just. Merlin was positive that he, himself, had that look on his face more than once since learning of his destiny. So he simply asked Arthur one question.

"Do you truly believe that magic can be used for good?"

Arthur glanced at him, a silent plea for Merlin to help him sort all these contradicting thoughts in his head and find what was right. And he answered in a voice barley above a whisper.

"I do, Merlin. I truly, honestly do."

Thoughts swirled around Merlin's head. And a question floated to the top of all of these thoughts. A question that Guias would have smacked him on the back of the head for even mentioning it. He thought to himself that he wasn't going to ask it. That if he asked it, it would be writing his own death sentence. Hell, he might as well pile up the wood as he asked it, tie himself to the stake and use his own magic to start the fire. But the question shot out of his mouth before he could stop it. It came out so fast, it sounded almost sounded like gibberish.

" _WhatwouldyoudoifItoldyouIhadmagic_?"

Merlin immediately cupped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. Arthur looked at him, confused. He slid off the window ledge he had been siting on and stood there, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow.

" _What_ did you just say, Merlin?"

Merlin knew that he couldn't deny what he just said. He closed his eyes, his hands lowered from his mouth to be balled into fists at his side and his shoulders hunched as if he was expecting a blow. And with a small wince, even though Arthur hadn't done anything, he restated his question slower.

"What would you do if I told you I had magic?"

Arthur gazed at him, dumbfounded, for a few seconds. Then he burst out laughing. A full-blown, head thrown back, honest to goddess laugh. Arthur's laughter slowed to short little chuckles.

"You! A sorcerer? Merlin, I have one question. If you're a sorcerer, why would you bother to clean up my room without magic? You could just wave your hand and it would be clean."

Merlin gave a small little half-hearted chuckle himself. Then he looked at Arthur with a sadness in his eyes.

"Maybe I'll try that, Sire." He said softly.

Merlin opened his hand and his eyes flashed gold. Arthur's bed made itself. His armor floated, situated itself neatly on the table and lay still. Soon the whole room was clean and still, save for one solitary piece of paper, flapping wildly, trying to get into the stack of other documents on Arthur's desk. It had been trapped under Arthur's fruit bowl. Merlin gave a small smile and flicked his hand. As his eyes once again flashed gold, the fruit bowl raised up and the piece of paper flew into the stack and the room was silent.

Arthur was now silent as well, looking at Merlin with... well Merlin couldn't quite place it. Fear? Awe? Anger? It was a mixture of all three and all three were fighting to show on the prince's face. Then Merlin heard Arthur's voice, full of anger and amazement.

"You're a sorcerer?"

Merlin bowed his head and looked at his brown boots. He slowly nodded his head.

"You can do magic?"

Again, Merlin nodded. How dense was Arthur? Merlin had just done magic before his very eyes. Merlin raised his head slowly to look into Arthur's eyes. The fury in them shocked Merlin. Then Arthur said something and this time there was nothing but anger in his voice, which was soft, but Merlin didn't have to strain to hear what he was saying.

"Get out."

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Get out!" Arthur was now shouting. "Go to your room! And don't even think of leaving Camelot! If I find out you even stepped out of the physicians chamber, I'll have you locked up in the dungeons before you can say 'Pendragon'! I need to think! Now, get out of my rooms!"

Merlin turned to go. He stopped at the door and turned to look at the Prince of Camelot. Arthur was siting at his desk, head buried in his hands. Merlin couldn't tell if he was hiding his emotions because of anger, fear, stress or sadness. Then the young sorcerer walked out of Arthur's rooms, back to his own. And as fear grew in his belly about what he had just done, a new stronger fear emerged. One that blew the fear of what Arthur was going to do right out of the water. How on earth was he going to explain this to _Gauis_?


	3. Episode 1: Revelations- Part 2

Merlin: Magic's Time

Episode 1-Part 2

Gauis was mixing a cure to help a young mother who was sick when Merlin burst through his door. His assistant didn't even look at Gauis. Instead, Merlin walked straight to the only table that was clean, slumped into the seat and buried hid head is head in his hands. Gauis, who had nearly dropped the cure he had been mixing, looked at his ward in shock. He set down the cure and walked over to the clearly upset boy.

"Merlin? What's the matter? You're acting like you just killed someone." When the boy didn't answer, Gauis' face showed that he feared the worse. "You didn't, did you. I know you wouldn't ever kill a person in cold blood, but your magic can be unpredictable and you are growing stronger."

Merlin didn't look up, but Gauis could hear his words clearly and they sounded hollow and sad. "I did a really stupid thing, Gauis. I did a really, _really_ stupid thing."

Gauis sat down opposite Merlin. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can get through it. But just to be sure, you didn't actually kill any_"

"No," interrupted Merlin, looking up suddenly. "I didn't kill anyone!" Merlin dropped his head into his hands again. "Unless you count murdering myself, because I just wrote my own death sentence."

Gauis looked at his young ward and, smiling kindly, said, "What on earth did you do to make Arthur want to kill you? I'm sure whatever it is, possibly a few days in the stocks would do, instead of your life." Gauis ended his sentence with a chuckle. Merlin didn't laugh though. "Now, tell me what you did."

Merlin lifted his head out of his hands and glanced apprehensively at Gauis. With a glance from Gauis, Merlin sighed, thumped his head on the desk, covered his raven hair with his hands and said something, but it was so muffled, Gauis couldn't even pick up on the words.

"Merlin, I can't understand you." Gauis said, his voice now tinged with annoyance. "Now, pick up your head and tell me what you did."

Merlin picked up his head a little bit and, not looking at his mentor muttered something that now sounded like, "I told Arthur _Ihamaih_ ".

"That's better, Merlin," said Gauis " but the last part was too muffled to understand. I can promise you, I won't get mad at what you told Arthur. You've been working hard and worried about the druid boy. It's normal to snap at people under times of stress. Now, please tell me what you told Arthur."

Merlin picked his head up, looked right at Gauis and said, in a clear, quiet voice, "I told Arthur I have magic."

Gauis didn't say anything for several minutes. He just stared at Merlin. Then he exploded in anger, his voice loud, making Merlin wince.

" _You did what_! Are you out of your mind? Or did your own stupidity catch up with you, boy! I think Uther was right to say you have a mental problem!" Gauis realized that what he said had upset Merlin even more. The boy had tears in his eyes.

When Merlin next spoke, his voice sounded of betrayal and sadness. And it nearly made Gauis loose his anger.

"You said you wouldn't get mad, Gauis." Merlin was now blinking back large tears.

"I am sorry," said Gauis, now trying to control his anger. "but what you did was not only foolish, it was suicidal! But if we could find a way to expand what you said to Arthur. I know. We could tell Arthur about your supposed mental problem. No, that wouldn't work_"

"Gauis …" said Merlin apprehensively.

"No now, Merlin!" Gauis snapped. "I'm trying to save your sorry neck. Now as I was saying, the mental problem wouldn't work, you've show that you are normally pretty smart around Arthur. Perhaps we could say that sorcerer was in his chambers while you two were talking and caused Arthur to hallucinate what you said-"

"Gauis." Merlin said, a bit more loudly.

"Really, Merlin, can this not wait until your head is off the coping block. No, the sorcery story wouldn't add up. Besides, Arthur would have called for at least the guards if a strange person was in his chambers. Maybe we could convince Arthur you were drunk! Yes! That's it! Here!" Gauis said, chucking an empty cup in Merlin's direction. "Hold that and act like your drunk. It'll work perfectly."

" _Gauis_!" Merlin shouted, slamming the empty cup he had caught on the table.

"Oh for heavens sake! Can this wait!" Gauis exclaimed.

"No it can't! That drunken Merlin theory won't fool Arthur." Merlin shouted, more to get his point across then with actual anger.

"And why would it not fool Arthur? Are you a fortune teller now too. Perhaps we should get you a crystal ball and a tent and you could preform for the people of Camelot. Oh wait," Gauis' voice now dripped with sarcasm. "Magic is _illegal_. But, it seems that _you_ forgot that"

"Two reasons. One, I just went down to Arthurs chambers and I wasn't drunk then. Two, if we do that theory, we'll have to convince Arthur that he was drunk too."

"And why in the world would we have to convince Arthur that he was drunk too, Merlin?" asked Gauis, his voice getting dangerously close to murderous rage.

"Because," said Merlin said in a voice barely above a whisper, wincing at the anger on Gauis' face and rage in his voice, "I did magic in front of him."

Gauis stared at Merlin again, absolutely silent. Then, his anger, which had begun to subside, roared to back to life with a vengeance.

"You miserable, idiotic, _fool_! What compelled you to show Arthur, the prince of the _magic- hating king_ , your own magical powers!"

"He didn't believe me!" shouted Merlin, the young warlocks anger now finally getting the better of him. "He didn't believe me, so I decided to show him. He laughed when I told him I had magic, Gauis! How do you think it feels when you finally can tell your closest friend in all of Camelot a secret that you would never show anyone else, just to have them laugh in your face. But I didn't show him just to prove that I had magic," Merlin stated, a bit calmer now that his anger had subsided. "I showed him to show him what it could do. That it wasn't evil." Merlin smiled a little, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, and started to chuckle. "Actually, it was Arthur who gave me the idea of what to do. I cleaned up his room. Took me like, five seconds, actually."

Gauis looked at his ward, then he started to smile. He started to laugh too.

"So how did Arthur react? I dare say he was surprised."

Merlin was now laughing louder. "Oh, I wish you could have seen it. But, he looked kind of scared too. After I showed him my magic, he got really angry and told me to come up here and to not leave until he came to get me. But, he hasn't yet, so maybe he forgot." Merlin said jokingly.

Suddenly, knock sounded from the other side of the door.

"Merlin! Merlin open this door _immediately_!" Shouted a very angry sounding Arthur.

"Or, on the other hand, maybe not." Merlin muttered


	4. Episode 1: Revelations- Part 3

Merlin: Magic's Time (Season 1)

Episode 1-Part 3

A knock rescinded from the solid oak door again. Merlin looked at it blankly, before standing up and walking towards it, almost in a trance. Gauis grabbed his shoulder as he passed him.

"Are you _crazy_! What are you doing! Arthur has probably come with guards to execute you!" Gauis said in a harsh whisper, "Urmmm….He's not here, sire!" He called out in a louder voice toward the door.

"Really? Because if he is not, I know two things of which I'm certain." Said the cross voice of Arthur from behind the solid oak door. "One is that you are a master at voices , Gauis. I've been standing here for a good five minutes and I have apparently heard you talking to Merlin." The prince's voice dripped with sarcasm. Then it turned more serious. "And second, if he is not in that room, Merlin is in even more trouble for showing that he is not only a sorcerer, but also a cowered of his own fate."

"No need to label me a cowered, Arthur. I'm here, as you requested." Called out Merlin.

Merlin jerked his shoulder out of Gauis grasp. He looked at his mentor with a mixture of both thanks and anger. While he was grateful that Gauis wanted to save him from his fate, he would face it as a well as any young boy could, with courage and dignity. Merlin squared his shoulders, lifted his chin and tried to make his face into a defiant expression. The young sorcerer hoped it at least masked the fear he was feeling. He walked toward the door, lifted the bar that locked it shut and opened it.

In the hall was Prince Arthur Pendragon. Merlin tried to glance over the prince's shoulder to see the numerous guards he had brought to drag Merlin down to the dungeons, but to his surprise, saw none.

" Where are the guards?" The raven haired boy asked. He could actually hear Gauis facepalm in the room behind him. Merlin was surprised by his own stupidity this time as well.

 _Yes, well done Merlin. Ask were the men who are going to kill you are. You certainly are the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth._ He thought to himself.

"I didn't bring any guards." Said Arthur. "Merlin-"

"Oh. I see." interrupted Merlin. "You want to kill me yourself. Very well." He bent over and pulled down his red neckerchief, exposing his neck. "Go ahead. I'm not scared to die, Arthur." Merlin sincerely hoped he sounded braver then he felt.

"Merlin…"

"You could have waited until Gauis was gone though. I don't want him to see this. And, before you ask, Gauis knew nothing about my…secret. You needn't question him."

"Merlin..." The voice sounded very cross now.

Merlin was still bent over and was getting a bit cross himself. Why didn't Arthur just do it already? Was he enjoying himself? All the stress over the last hour bubbled over and came out in one loud shout.

"Arthur, if your going to kill me, get it over with!"

"Merlin, I am not going to kill you. Look at me, I have brought no weapons, no restraints, not even anything to throw at you. I am completely unarmed." Arthur said, sounding a little less angry.

Merlin glanced up from where he was. He saw that Arthur's belt was bear, no sword in sight. He straightened up and looked at the blond. Arthur spread his arms wide and spun slowly in a circle, allowing Merlin to see that he was indeed unarmed.

Arthur looked at Merlin and placed his arms at his sides. "I have only come to talk. Please. I really want to get out of the corridor. I feel quite silly just standing here. May I come in?"

Merlin glanced at his mentor. Gauis shook his head frantically, but Merlin stood aside, letting Arthur in.

"Thank you. Merlin, I mean what I said. I have only come to talk. I haven't come to kill you or harm you in any way, shape, or form. Just to talk. I want to know some things…," Arthur looked pointedly at Gauis. "that would probably be best said without anyone else around."

Merlin followed Arthurs gaze.

"It's okay, Arthur. Gauis knows about my magic."

Arthur was dumbfounded. He looked from Merlin, to Gauis and back again.

"He knows! For how long?" Asked Arthur, who seemed a bit hurt that he wasn't the only one that knew Merlin secret. "And who else knows?"

Merlin grinned, "Just you and Gauis. Oh, and Lancelot, too. Gauis found out when I saved him from falling using my magic, when I first met him. Lancelot figured it out when I used my magic to help him defeat the griffin. I've helped you, saved your life so many times, using magic."

"You mean…" Arthur said slowly, finally seeming to put two and two together. "When you saved my life, when you first came to Camelot…"

"I used magic to save you, yes. I used it to make to chandelier fall and to save you from the knife. Honestly, I thought you would have figured it out by now. I was always really scared to use my magic in Camelot. But when my friends lives are in the balance, I don't care about the chopping block."

Arthur looked at him. "I want to know everything. How you learned magic, why you learned it, everything, Merlin."

Merlin looked confused. "Why?"

Arthur looked around, obviously nervous about being asked his reason behind wanting Merlin to tell him about magic.

"Oh….no reason, no reason at all. I just want to know why. Why you came to Camelot? Just….I want to know everything. Start at the beginning and leave nothing out!"

Merlin chuckled. "Leave nothing out? Well, if you insist, sire. But I warn you, it's a very long explanation. We might want to sit down." He gestured toward the cleared table he had been sitting at.

Gauis pulled up an extra stool and sat down next to Merlin. Arthur sat down opposite the pair of them. Once all three were comfortable, Merlin started.

"I grew up in a little village, just beyond Camelot borders, in Odin's lands, called Eeldor. My mother's name is Hunith and I didn't know my father. The first time I started doing magic, I was about one. I wanted a toy from across the room. My mother said that she had looked around and the toy was floating towards me and my eyes were the color of pure gold. Soon I was flying things all over the house. I thought it was great fun."

Merlin chuckled. "My poor mother thought that I was going to be burnt at the stake. She didn't take me out of the house until I was about five. I think the people of Eeldor thought I was sick or something, because mother wouldn't let me come out and play with the other kids. She wanted to make sure it was quite clear that I wasn't allowed to make things fly around the village or use my magic at all outside of our house. It wasn't until I was eight that my best friend, Will, found out I had magic. Mother was furious! She made Will promise to never tell a living soul about my secret."

Merlin finished his entire explanation about two hours later. He had explained about his magic, about how he could use some of it without incantations, how many times he had saved Arthur's life using magic and pretty much anything else the prince wanted to know about..

"In short," Merlin explained, "My magic is about as important to me as breathing. It's in my blood, my breath, my very being. And that's it, Arthur." He finished with a sigh.

Arthur hadn't spoken while Merlin had given him the explanation. Now he looked at Merlin. And he said five words Merlin and Gauis wouldn't have thought it possible for him to say.

"I want to learn magic."

Merlin just stared, looking as though Arthur had just told him he was going to renounce his claim to the throne, go into the wilderness and become a crazy hermit. "What did you just say?"

"I said I want to learn magic. Really, Merlin, try to keep up."

"But-but-but why!" Said Merlin.

"Because you have saved my life with magic many times. Imagine if I could do it myself. I could ensure my people's safety. And," Arthur said. " I'm not like my father. I don't hate magic. I want to learn all I can to be a great king Camelot can be proud of. I feel that knowing how to do magic will help me be a better king when I'm older."

Now Gauis spoke. "Sire, do you realize what you are saying! If your father found out; why I don't know what he would do!"

"And keeping magic hidden isn't easy, Arthur." Merlin put in. "You are living in constant fear of being found out. But…" Merlin hesitated. "I will teach you. Only if you promise me three things."

Gauis glared at him. Merlin suspected Gauis thought he would back him up in saying that Arthur shouldn't practice magic, but Merlin didn't care. He would convince Gauis that this was for the best later.

"Of course! Anything!" Arthur said

"One, you will listen to me when I teach you magic. When I am teaching you, we are no longer a prince and his servant. I am your teacher and you are my student and I expect you to treat me with respect and listen to what tell you."

Arthur nodded.

"Second, you will not, I repeat, _will not_ use magic outside this room or your chambers and you will tell no one what we are doing. Those will be the rooms we practice in. Until you can do magic without being noticed, and I will tell you when have reached that level of skill, no talking, doing, or practicing of magic will be used outside of those two rooms. Do I make myself clear?"

Arthur nodded, more serious now.

"And third, when you are king, I want you to make it legal to practice magic in the land of Camelot. Too many have died, without doing anything wrong, just for saving someone's life using magic."

Arthur nodded, then knelt before Merlin.

"I, Prince Arthur Pendragon, Crown Prince of Camelot, give my solemn vow and oath to keep these promises, on pain of death."

Merlin smiled.

"Good. We can start after your first battle practice tomorrow. The sooner the better."

"Um….Merlin." Said Gauis. "I think you should go see one more person tonight."

Arthur looked puzzled. "Who?"

Merlin gestured toward Arthur. "He is the king's son!" He hissed. "How do you think he'll react when he finds out I'm teaching the king's son!"

Arthur looked from physician to sorcerer. "Who are you talking about?"

Gauis sighed. "None the less, he should be told."

Merlin sighed too. "All right. Fine. Come on, Arthur. There's someone you need to meet."


	5. Episode 1: Revelations- Part 4

**I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG TIME IT LOOK FOR ME TO FINISH THE LAST BIT OF EPISODE 1! I feel absolutely horrible about it. But it has been crazy these past few months! I'm hoping to get one more episode done before summer rolls around. Then I'll have more time to work on it. So to make up for it, I want you guys to tell me your favorite** _ **Merlin**_ **episode. Mine is "Beauty and the Beast" (the episode where Uther marries the troll XD). Hope you enjoy it**

 **-Deerpelt (by way of MajorBrony95)**

Merlin: Magic's Time (Season 1)

Episode 1 Part 4

Merlin led Arthur out of the physician's chambers and down through Camelot castle, grabbing a unlit torch off a bracket along the way. They soon reached a large gate. Arthur looked around, confused. Then he asked a string or questions in such quick secession it made Merlin's head spin a little.

"Where are we? I've never been to this part of the castle. And who are we going to see? How do you know them?"

"All in good time, Arthur," said Merlin as calmly as he could. He didn't want the prince to see how nervous he was. "Just follow me and don't speak until we get to our destination, please."

The truth was Merlin was unsure if the Great Dragon could hear Arthur and know who it was just by the voice. He certainly didn't want the Great Dragon to burn Arthur to a crisp just as they came into the cave. In fact, scratch that. He didn't want the Great Dragon to burn Arthur to a crisp, period.

Arthur's voice broke into Merlin thoughts. His voice was the epiphany of sarcasm.

"Are we going to _get_ to our destination or are you going to stand there, holding an unlit torch for the rest of the night?"

Merlin rounded on Arthur and drew himself up to his full height. "Arthur, remember promise number one? Well, I'm putting it into practice right now. Now, listen to me and stay _silent_!"

Arthur immediately shut up, but he didn't look too pleased about it.

Merlin tested the gate. As always, it was unlocked. Taking a deep breath, Merlin preformed a second spell in front of the Crown Prince.

" _ **Forbærne.**_ " The outstretched torch sprung to life, the fire flickering. He heard Arthur gasp and couldn't help but smile. If Arthur was impressed by a simple fire spell, Merlin thought he might faint when he showed him the spell he used to bring the stone dog to life. Then Merlin shook his head.

 _Stop it,_ he told himself sternly. _You need to focus on the task at hand. If you don't, things might go very wrong, very fast._

Merlin led the way slowly down the stone steps. As they reached the entrance to the Great Dragon's cave, Merlin turned to Arthur and spoke in a whisper.

"Arthur, I need you to listen to me. We are about to meet someone who… really doesn't like your father and in turn, doesn't like you. He might tell you some things about your father that aren't really going to be pleasant for you to hear. Nod if you understand me."

The blond gave a small nod. Merlin took a deep breath (for what felt like the hundredth time that night) and stepped out into the cave, beckoning Arthur to follow.

Merlin glanced around the large cave. The Great Dragon was nowhere in sight. For a moment Merlin let his thoughts wonder. How did a dragon that large hide in this cave? True, it was a large cave, but it wasn't as if the Great Dragon could go anywhere. He then tore himself away from the unimportant question. He drew himself up and called out into the darkness.

"Hello! I've come to speak to you! Please, show yourself!"

A large, booming voice resounded around the cave. It echoed off the walls and ceiling, making it impossible for the raven-haired sorcerer to distinguish where it was coming from.

"Young warlock! You had better have a VERY good reason for coming down here with the person behind you! And you had better give me another very good reason to not kill him where he stands!"

Merlin heard Arthur gulp. He had hoped the Great Dragon wouldn't have heard Arthur right before they came down to the cave. How stupid had he been? The Great Dragon seemed to know everything that happened in and around Camelot. He wouldn't be surprised if he knew about everything outside of the kingdom as well.

The sorcerer looked about, bringing the torch higher, trying to see the owner of the voice. But he saw neither wing nor tail of the Great Dragon. Merlin sighed. Sometimes he thought the dragon lived to be dramatic. Well, if YOU lived in a cave chained to a rock, you had to have fun SOMEHOW.

Merlin decided to speak up. "I only wish to talk to you. What I have to say concerns my destiny." Merlin was starting to get frustrated now. He was tired and still had quite a lot of anxiety coursing through him. "Come out and show yourself!"

A large wind picked up as the huge, green dragon flew down, seemingly out of nowhere, to his perch on the large rock. The sound of heavy chain clanking into a pile echoed around the cave. The dragon was now only about a yard or two from Merlin and Arthur. His golden eyes were alight with fury.

Then the Great Dragon spoke and when he did his voice shook with rage. "Young warlock, you do not yet know your destiny with me and yet you command me as if you do. What comes out of your mouth next should be thought of carefully, if you wish to keep your head."

Merlin let his gaze meet that of the Great Dragon. He thought for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he spoke. His voice was more controlled now, but Merlin made sure that confidence was ringing in it as well.

"As I said, I only wish to speak to you. Well, that is to say…WE wish to speak with you." Merlin gestured to Arthur, motioning for the prince to stand beside him. "This is-"

The Great Dragon cut him off angrily. "I know who the he is. He is the Prince of Camelot. Prince Arthur _Pendragon_." The dragon spat out the last word.

Merlin, who was becoming a bit apprehensive about the dragon's anger, stood so he could protect Arthur if necessary. Then he spoke again.

"Yes, he is. Please, before you do anything, hear me out. I must tell you something-"

The Great Dragon cut Merlin off again. "I do not wish to talk to you, Merlin. I wish to speak with the Princeling."

Arthur moved out from his place next to Merlin so that he was now standing directly in front of the Great Dragon. His gaze was filled with nothing but a fearful respect for the great beast in front of him.

The dragon lowered his head so that he was almost nose to scaly nose with Arthur.

"Do you know who I am, Princeling?" The Great Dragon asked in a dark hiss.

Arthur shook his head, meeting the dragon's eyes.

"No?" The dragon asked in mock surprise, "You mean you never asked your father about me? You never heard of me? Did _daddy dearest_ not talk about the big, scary, dragon under Camelot?!" The Great Dragon's voice had risen angrily. The dragon had stretched out his great wings and seemed to be on the point of shooting a blast of fire at both sorcerer and prince.

Merlin grabbed at Arthurs shirt collar, trying to tug him back to safety just in case, but Arthur tugged out of his grasp.

"Arthur!" Merlin hissed desperately, "What are you do-"

Arthur's loud voice drowned out Merlin's whispered warning. The crown prince had taken a step forward toward the dragon, his eyes dark with fury now.

"How dare-" Arthur's voice shook and he had to take a gulp and try again, "How dare you speak about my father that way! He is a great king! He would never…he could never…"

"Never what, Princeling? Hurt a creature such as myself? Be capable of such cruelty? Then you do not know your father at all, young prince," said the Great Dragon, slightly sadly now, as if he pitied Arthur's naïve outlook on his father.

Arthur looked shocked. "But my father….how could he…" Merlin could hear the sadness in his voice, which then rose in anger again. "You must have done something! You must have put his people in danger or attacked Camelot! My father would not do this unprovoked!"

The dragon rose up in his four great legs so that he towered above Merlin and Arthur. He stared at Arthur in indignation.

"I did not provoke your father, Princeling! Your father attacked my species! It was during the Great Purge of Magic. Your father, the _great_ Uther Pendragon, was making a siege on anything with magic!" The Great Dragon said, calming slightly as he talked. "The great Phoenixes of the south and the Unicorns of the north are all but extinct, but few still survive in hiding. The Griffons of the west flew to new lands during the Great Purge; no one has heard from them for ages. And then there is my species, the Dragons of the east. We were once revered for our knowledge and power. And now, young prince, you see before you the last dragon of the great kingdoms of Avalon."

The great beast glared at Arthur. "Would you like to hear the tale of how my great species was destroyed by your father's hand? I have had a long time to perfect the wording, but have had no one to tell it to. How ironic that it should be you."

The Great Dragon knelt again, so he was comfortable on his rock and started his story.

"I was a young dragon only 1,020 years old when the Great Purge started. Old enough to fight, but too young to understand just what it was I was fighting against. Uther was a young king of 30. He had just had a young prince. And that would be you, Arthur Pendragon. When his wife died, he was devastated. He blamed anything with magic. He started to attack any form of it and anyone who practiced it; from the peaceful druids of the forest to the barbaric magic users of the mountains. None were safe from his anguished wrath."

"But just killing HUMAN magic users wasn't enough, oh no. He then turned his attention to CREATURES of magic as well. When he started to attack our neighbors was when our Great Counsel of Dragons met and decided that something must be done. They asked any dragons willing to join to stop Uther. I was one of the first to volunteer."

"We thought it would be an easy job. Show Uther that we were not a force to be trifled with and have him stop." The Great Dragon stopped talking for a moment and his eyes grew sad. "But my species was not prepared for the amount of man power that Uther had on his side. We were gravely outnumbered in our fight on the ground. Uther had brought the fight to the Lake of Avalon, where he used water to quench our fire. He found a way of making arrows fly straight through a dragon's wings and render him flightless. It was only a matter of time before the battle group was brought down to the ground and killed one by one, till I was the last standing. I was lucky that the arrows had not pierced my wings, but I had hurt my leg and had to land. I thought that Uther would kill me too and I readily welcomed it with honor. But no. He had a far greater punishment for me worse than any execution at his hand. He captured me and humiliated me, chaining me up and parading me back to his kingdom like a captured animal for a menagerie. He then chained me up under this cavern. "

"Soon, he found where the rest of the dragons were hidden and dragged them back to Camelot as well. He killed them in the center of the courtyard, so that his people could see their mighty king fend of supposedly fearsome dragons who, in reality, were only fledglings or mothers protecting their young."

The Great Dragon paused again and winced, as if an unforeseen force had struck him.

"I can still hear their screams. Then Uther took to visiting my cave. He would mock me and torment me with boasts of how great a king he was, how he had brought the strong magic users of Camelot to their end. That is, until he stopped coming to my cave. I was glad for the respite, but strangely longed for someone to talk to. That was when I met Guias, the court physician of the kingdom. Then he too stopped coming to talk. And now here we are, twenty years later, when I am now talking to the prince of Camelot, telling my story to the one whom I vowed I would kill if I got the chance."

The Great Dragon now looked at Arthur, with a look that Merlin couldn't quite place. Was it pity or was it anger? He soon saw it was a mix of both. Then Merlin looked at Arthur and what he saw made his bold run cold.

Arthur's head was bowed and his fists were clenched at his sides. Was the prince going to attack the dragon, for all the things he had said about Uther? The blonde didn't look up at the dragon for a few long moments. Then the prince eased his head up took look into the great golden eyes and sorrow was the only emotion on his face.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said, his voice a quiet whisper. "I'm so sorry for all that my father has done to you. I thought you had been lying, but I can hear the truth in your voice. I know nothing can ease the pain my father has brought you. However-" At this Arthur knelt near the edge of the ledge, close to the huge dragons clawed feet and bent his head in a respectful bow, "if my death would allow you some solace, then I offer it to you, as payment for all that you have been through."

Merlin was ready to leap in front of Arthur, but the Great Dragon did nothing. The beast only cocked his head to one side, looking at the young prince with a new emotion. One Merlin had only seen a few times. It was respect, not a grudging respect, but a look that made the dragon seem to study Arthur with a new light.

"How different you are from your father, Princeling," he mused softly. "I did not expect this from you. You have willingly offered your life as payment of your father's sins. And I am almost willing to accept your offer. However, not even I can change the destiny that is planned for you. You are not to die yet, for you have much to do. I can see that you will be a great king."

Arthur looked up, startled. "What destiny? I don't have a destiny."

The Great Dragon looked at Merlin in amusement.

"Should you tell him or shall I, Merlin?" he chucked, his golden eyes glittering. Obviously, the dragon was now inviting the raven-haired sorcerer back onto the conversation.

Merlin was relived to not have to protect Arthur against the dragon. Merlin took a deep, shuddering breath to calm himself before speaking.

"Arthur, there is a destiny that we both share. You are to bring peace to Camelot and I am to help you. You will bring help to Avalon when it is in its greatest need."

Arthur rose to his feet on shaking legs. He glanced from the dragon to Merlin, then back again. If he wasn't so tired of all that had happened tonight, Merlin would have made a comment about how Arthur looked. Merlin could see that Arthur was still trying to understand everything that had happened that night. Merlin then realized they had gotten completely off topic, so he decided to cut to the chase and, clearing his throat, looked up at the dragon.

"Erm…actually, there is something that Arthur and I have to ask you."

The Great Dragon glanced at Merlin with a cautious look in his eye.

"I know what you want to ask, young warlock. Do you think it wise for you to teach the young Princeling magic?"

"As long as we aren't caught, I see no harm in it. I made Arthur promise to bring magic back to the kingdom when he is king. This could be just what the kingdom needs."

Now the dragon turned to Arthur, eyes narrowed.

"And can the young Princeling be trusted with all these secrets?"

Arthur looked up at the Great Dragon sharply and held his gaze, but kept his tone calm, which amazed Merlin. He had thought the prince would snap at the beast for insinuating such things.

"You can trust me. I will not tell anyone of the things I have learned tonight. You have my word."

The Great Dragon bowed his head in assent.

"Then you have my permission to teach the young Princeling magic. And like you, Merlin, the heir of Camelot is welcome to come to me if he has need of me. I would be happy to help."

 _Except you give as much help as the wind in a rainstorm,_ thought Merlin sarcastically. He then turned to Arthur.

"Right then. Well, it'll be morning soon and you'll want a bit of rest before tomorrow." Merlin turned to the dragon. "Thank you for your permission and your offer of help. I'm sure it will come in handy in the future."

Arthur gave the Great Dragon a deep bow of respect.

"It was my honor to have met you. I'm sure we will be seeing much of each other."

The dragon also bowed his great head in resect.

"The honor was mine, young Princeling. I am also sure I will see much of you in my cave." Then his tone grew a bit warmer. "I will watch your progress with great interest."

The two turned to leave, but as they reached the stairs the Great Dragon called out one last time.

"Merlin. I hope you have not forgotten your promise to me."

Merlin gave a huge sigh in his head. _You never give me TIME to forget about it. Every time I come down here, you remind me,_ he thought, somewhat angrily.

He turned back to the dragon. "No, I haven't forgotten. But I must make sure it is a time that would be best for you to make an escape. And now is not that time."

The dragon gave another nod of assent.

"Then I bid you both farewell for the time being. I wish you the best of luck. You might just need it in later days."

With that, the dragon launched himself into the air and disappeared into the shadows.

As they walked up the steps back up to the corridors of Camelot, Arthur looked at Merlin walking beside him.

"What did the dragon mean? What promise did you make him?"

Merlin ran a hand through his hair. He was exhausted and could feel all of the night's events being to take their toll on his mind. He didn't look at Arthur.

"Nothing you need to worry about. It is between me and him."

They continued to walk in silence until the prince broke it again. This time he was angry. Merlin had been expecting this since they had started heading back up the steps, but it wasn't until they were close to the gate that Arthur spoke his mind in an angry growl.

"How can it be that my father would do such things to a noble beast such as that!? To have killed his entire species and chained him down there, with nobody the wiser! He has to explain himself!"

Merlin realized what the prince wanted to do and grabbed his arm.

"Arthur! Are you mad!? If you do that, it will only make things worse. You promised to keep all that you learn tonight a secret. You must not go back on that promise now."

Arthur made as if to break out of Merlin's grip, but then went limp instead. His shoulders slumped and his head was bowed to the ground.

"How…"Arthur muttered in a horse whisper. "How can I ever look at my father the same way again? How can I try to please him and do his bidding and act like I love him when I saw what he did, what he has become because if his fear?" He then looked at Merlin with tears in his eyes. "What if I become just like him?"

Merlin swallowed hard and gave Arthur a hard look.

"You, Arthur Pendragon, are NOT. Your. Father. Sure, you're a pompous, arrogant, bullheaded pain in the neck." At that, Arthur wiped the tears in his eyes and smiled. "But you are not, and never will be, like your father. I'll help make sure of it. Of that, I promise you."

Merlin punched Arthur lightly in the arm as the prince laughed.

"Now come, my young pupil. You have a long day ahead if you and we still have to go tell Guais the good news!"

Arthur looked at Merlin, a grin forming on his lips. He gave a great sweeping bow.

"Then lead the way, oh great teacher."

With that, the two made their way back to Merlin's room, Merlin lighting a torch with magic along the way.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Baby steps, Arthur. Baby steps."

 **A/N: They don't know Kilgharrah (the Great Dragon's name) at this time. That is why they simply call him "The Great Dragon".**


End file.
